Love is all you need
by Ayla Pascal
Summary: It all comes down to one thing: Harry loves Severus.


Author Notes: Thank you to aigoosm for the beta!

It all comes down to one thing: Harry loves Severus. They have problems, just like every other couple, but at the end of the day, he knows that Severus loves him too.

It's their love that loosens the shackles on Severus's wrists and reinstates his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's their love that brings silent tears to the eyes of the public. It's their love that moves the Wizengamot to issue Severus a pardon. It's their love that the newspapers write about. ("He's so young, he's been through so much – surely he _deserves_ this.") Of course, there's no question of Severus Snape's innocence; Dumbledore's will proved that. But it's Harry's word that seals the deal. There's nothing the Ministry won't give him, and even though Harry's uncomfortable with the notion, he takes the pardon anyway. It's for Severus. It's for their life together.

Severus doesn't end up wanting to work at Hogwarts again. "It's too public," he explains to Harry who understands perfectly. He want a quiet life together with Severus, a life where nobody will come knocking on their door to request things of them. A life where Severus has no master and Harry is nobody's puppet on strings. Harry wants them to have a life together, just the two of them, living out the rest of their days in peace and quiet.

The little cottage they buy in the countryside is perfect. It's almost like a dream to Harry, a simple little cottage with wildflowers growing around the edge of the garden and a vegetable patch out back. One bedroom, one living room, a bathroom, a large kitchen and a couple of small cupboards for storage. Nothing too showy, nothing too complicated, just a cottage that's become their home.

The vegetable patch in the garden inspires Harry to take up cooking. It's more difficult than he ever imagined.

"Sorry," he tells Severus the first time he tries to cook dinner. Harry didn't think it would be that difficult, but his skills have grown rusty since his time with the Dursleys. He could have used magic, but there's a part of him that wants to cook for Severus. Unfortunately, the limp pasta looks inedible and the sauce is burnt. The smell of it turns Harry's stomach. He never thought that carrots would have been that difficult to peel or that he needed to keep that close an eye on the pot.

Severus's upper lip twitches.

It only takes a wave of Harry's hand to right the mess, and then they sit down to a delicious dinner. That's another thing he loves about Severus – he's always so accepting of Harry's particular level of magical skill. After Voldemort's defeat, there were rumours abound about Harry's powers. Whenever he was out in public, there were always strange glances and the tiny flickers of fear. Even his friends seem surprised by the sheer amount of power he can wield. But with Severus, Harry knows he can be himself. Severus barely seems to notice it when Harry performs unusual magic; he simply takes all of it in his stride. Often, they end up tangled up in the bedclothes after one of these unusual magical episodes, and afterwards, Harry's always glad that he's got such an accepting lover.

The next time Harry cooks dinner, it almost ends up being edible.

"Practice," Severus drawls as he tastes it. "More practice needed. Perhaps you should help me with my potions more."

Harry sticks his tongue out at him.

Severus spends his days brewing potions (which Harry doesn't mind) and poking about their small garden (which Harry is surprised and pleased about). Severus has quite the knack for gardening; Harry doubts that the vegetables had ever been so succulent before they had moved here. Even the grass is greener. "I'm a Potions master. I can surely look after a vegetable garden," Severus tells him whenever Harry asks.

Harry laughs. "You scare them into growing," he teases.

They're so far away from the hustle and bustle of London that his friends don't visit often. When they do, Hermione looks around with a puzzled look on her face and Ron always tries to crack inappropriate jokes about why they needed to be so far away from everybody else. Severus disappears into the garden whenever they visit, so Harry tries to cut their visits short. He doesn't like the atmosphere when Severus isn't in the cottage. Without Severus, the air seems sharper and less sweet.

"We don't see you often enough," Hermione tells him one summery afternoon over tea and scones. She hesitates and bites her lower lip. "It almost seems like..."

"Snape isn't keeping you prisoner, is he?" Ron blurts out. His face turns almost the same colour as the tomatoes that Severus had tried growing recently. "Sorry," he mutters. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

Harry stares at his friends. "You don't understand," he says flatly.

Hermione fiddles with her teacup. "It's just that you're always here and so is he. You even get your food and other items delivered, don't you? I've seen the receipts the delivery owls leave behind. It doesn't seem healthy to always stay here by yourselves."

Harry can feel his stomach clench. He's always had the suspicion that Ron and Hermione didn't understand his relationship with Severus. He didn't need anybody else but Severus, and Harry suspected that Severus felt the same way. It isn't as though he doesn't like seeing his friends; it's just that Ron and Hermione aren't part of his equation for happiness anymore. It's like one of those complicated potions that Severus sometimes brews. At times, Severus ends up substituting one ingredient for a handful of ingredients and the potion works better because of it.

"Harry?"

Harry blinks. "Sorry, Hermione," he apologises almost automatically. "Look, it might not seem like it, but we're happy. The war... it was harder on Severus than it was on other people." He doesn't tell them about the nightmares; Severus doesn't even want to admit that he has them.

Hermione sighs. "I know that. You know how I was one of the witnesses at his trial." She looks like she's about to say more, but Ron lays a hand on her arm.

"Sorry, mate," Ron tells him. "We just want to help. We're your friends." He tugs at his hair, looking nervous.

"We're _worried_," Hermione bursts out.

"Don't be." Harry's tone is even; he's suddenly tired of their visit. Whenever Ron and Hermione are here, they disrupt things. Without them, his days are simple and routine where nobody stops by their cottage and the most unexpected thing is the occasional sprinkling of rain. Even the wildlife around here don't seem to bother them much.

Hermione's face is still solemn when she leaves. Ron gives Harry a sheepish look over his shoulder before following Hermione down the path. Harry lifts his hand silently in farewell. Had there ever been a time when their visits hadn't been awkward? Harry wonders if he's changed or if it's Ron and Hermione who've become different. Their easy camaraderie of youth just isn't there anymore. With a sigh, Harry settles down onto a chair to finish off his cup of tea.

The back door opens and Severus walks into the room smelling like fresh grass and flowers. "Back for their monthly visit, I see," Severus says as he brushes the dirt off his hands.

Harry stands up, walks over and wraps his arms around Severus's waist. "Least they won't be back for another month," he says lightly.

Severus nips his neck. "Good," he murmurs into Harry's ear, his breath sending tingles down Harry's spine. "I like having you to myself."

"I like that too."

At other times, his life doesn't seem quite so clear-cut. There are times – especially when Ron and Hermione are around – when Harry wonders if they could have made a different choice. Perhaps he and Severus could have got a house in London. Perhaps Severus could have gone back to become Headmaster of Hogwarts. Perhaps Harry could have ended up as an Auror, or a professor or Minister of Magic – after all, he'd had all three job offers. They don't need the money, of course. Harry's inheritance and the stipend that Severus gets monthly from the Ministry ('as compensation for your wrongful imprisonment') are more than enough to cover their spending.

But in his heart of hearts, Harry knows he's made the right choice.

He's happy here and so is Severus.

They do have their problems. Severus can be brusque at times. They both still have their demons from the war to deal with. Often, Harry wakes up in the middle of the night with the sheets soaked and he isn't sure whether it's him or Severus. And of course, at times, Harry does wonder why Severus made this choice to live with him, why a wizard who had spent his entire life binding himself to more powerful wizards (first Voldemort, then Dumbledore) would choose to give everything up to live in a small cottage in the countryside.

But then Harry remembers that Severus loves him.

There's absolutely no doubt in his mind that Severus loves him. It's in every concession he makes, every time he eats one of Harry's home-cooked meals, every time he plants a new vegetable in his garden because Harry wanted him to, every time he lets Harry hog the blankets.

At the end of the day, Harry knows that it all comes down to that one thing: he loves Severus and Severus loves him. With that, they can face anything.

-fin


End file.
